Zachary Craft, ’12, attributes much of his success in life with skills he learned as an NIU student. A career educator, first as a teacher and then as an administrator, he joined six of his fellow alumni as new members of the NIU Alumni Association Board of Directors on July 1, 2024.

Craft, who currently serves as principal of Highland Elementary School in Downers Grove, Illinois, worked as assistant principal of Bristol Bay Elementary School in Yorkville, Illinois, from 2016 to 2019 and as a teacher at H.C. Storm School in Batavia, Illinois, from 2012 to 2016.

“One of the skills I was to able gain during my time at NIU was collaboration,” he said. “Being able to collaborate and build relationships with those around me has been critical in every aspect of my career. Whether it was building relationships with my students during my time as a teacher, or building relationships with staff and families as a principal, being able to effectively collaborate and build relationships has been vital to moving us all forward.”

After graduating from NIU, Craft continued to be involved as an alumnus through the NIU Alumni Association (NIUAA).

“Through the alumni association I have had the opportunity to be an NIU Nexus volunteer, participate in recruiting efforts and serve as a facilitator of a program focused on helping students build their personal brand,” he said. “I have spoken to groups of students in the College of Education and shared how to navigate the hiring process within education, and have had the opportunity to connect with NIU students enrolled in the University Experience course, both in person and virtually. This is in addition to being an avid NIU sports fan and enjoying many games at Huskie Stadium and the Convocation Center.”

Craft believes that a strong alumni association can have a positive influence on current students.

“I applied to serve on the board of directors to continue to strengthen the bond between NIU, the NIUAA, and Huskies everywhere,” he said. “A strong alumni association has the potential to make a positive impact directly on students. By creating opportunities for current Huskies to engage with our alumni, we allow them to benefit from the experiences, skills, and expertise that our alumni have amassed as a result of their high-quality NIU education.”

In addition to his career accomplishments, Craft pointed to his experience as a member of the Geneva, Illinois, Public Library District Board of Trustees as an example of his experience collaborating with others.

“After engaging in a comprehensive review of the organization, our board put forth a nearly $21 million referendum to build a new library in Geneva for the first time in 100 years,” he said. “After a lengthy referendum process, we successfully passed a referendum to build a new library in 2016. As a board we oversaw the design and construction process and opened a new library in 2020.”

To Craft, being an engaged alumnus means applying your skills to help NIU students succeed.

“NIU does a tremendous job preparing Huskies for success in their field of choice, but there are always opportunities to strengthen that programming and provide avenues for additional support,” he said. “Being an engaged alumnus means having a desire to move NIU forward and means taking action by leveraging your skills to meet the needs of NIU and Huskies everywhere.”

Craft said he believes in the value that an education from NIU brings to students.

“My time at NIU was transformational and helped me to realize much of my potential,” he said. “As an educator, I believe that a quality education is one of the most valuable things in a person’s life and is the key to moving our society forward.”

Click here to learn more about volunteer opportunities at NIU, or contact us at volunteer@niu.edu or 815-753-2586

For Jeff Thompson, ’88, M.S. 90, the versatile education he experienced at NIU helped him navigate and excel in the business world for decades, most recently retiring as an executive in the legal cannabis industry.

With a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in statistics from NIU, Thompson was well-suited to join Nalco Chemical Company as a senior statistician at the beginning of his career.

“Since my liberal arts degree from NIU was so well-rounded I was able to transfer those skills over to other disciplines and departments – research and development, IT, marketing strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and so forth,” he said.

Thompson then moved to the food industry, serving as a vice president of continuous improvement for U.S. Foods.

“The skills transferred, but food and chemicals are very different from a safety and regulations point of view, as well as their direct impact to consumers,” he said. “Again, a great learning experience, and a well-rounded education from NIU helped me hit the ground running.”

It was during COVID, when the restaurant industry was taking a hit and the future of the industry was unclear, that Thompson had an opportunity to go into a new line of work.

“Out of the blue I got a call from an industry that would have never been on my radar: cannabis,” he said.

A new company called Pharmacann was recruiting executives from areas like food, chemicals and manufacturing.

“They said my background exactly filled their needs and asked me if I would take a tour and consider running their operations,” he said. “I was skeptical, but saw opportunity everywhere in the building. They didn’t know it, but they were craving formal process, people development, safety, metrics and better relationships with government compliance issues.”

Thompson took the job at Pharmacann leading operations and his role grew to include more areas like construction, cultivation, new product development, engineering and environmental health and safety.

“This is an everchanging industry that is evolving rapidly, especially through mergers and acquisitions, so I ended up taking similar roles as executive vice president of operations at Ascend Wellness Holdings and vice president of quality and safety at Ayr Wellness,” he said. “I have been very fortunate in my career, and this has allowed me to retire early and focus on giving back and sharing my experiences.”

Thompson grew up in the blue-collar south Chicago suburb of Harvey, Illinois. His father and grandfather both worked at the same manufacturing plant, and he was the first in his family to go to college. His younger sister, Laura Severino, ’90, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marketing from NIU.

Thompson said his high school was focused on vocational training, but that he had older friends who attended NIU and he fell in love with the campus during visits.

“I visited other schools but kept comparing them to NIU, which instantly felt like home,” he said. “Huskies are inclusive and love their school and campus, but also embrace the town around them. That isn’t true for a lot of universities.”

He and his girlfriend, Kim (Jancaric) Thompson, ’89, attended NIU together, and have now been married for 34 years, making them Double Huskies. Kim received a bachelor’s degree in accountancy and is currently director of strategic sourcing for BMO. The couple have two children: son Kyle, 25, and daughter Harli, 28.

“Through NIU’s world class accountancy program, Kim passed her CPA on the first attempt with flying colors,” Thompson said.

During his time at NIU, Thompson enjoyed playing intramural basketball at the Rec Center and watching films in Cine Club. He also tutored math and statistics for extra money and was a grad assistant. He said the grad assistant job, along with working in the consulting lab for the math department, paid for his tuition and gave him a monthly stipend which helped him focus on his studies.

Thompson recalled being inspired by professors in the statistics program, now part of the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science.

“The statistics department was full of rock star professors who were outstanding teachers, but also incredible publishers in their own specific emphasis fields,” he said.

Two professors stood out to Thompson: Stanley Trail and Mohsen Pourahmadi. He said they and the others in the department were always accessible one on one and had a genuine interest in all of the students’ success.

“Dr. Trail was a mentor who saw something in me and encouraged me to continue on with my master’s,” Thompson said. “Whenever we were discussing a new topic, instead of leaping into it and having us memorize formulas, he would spend time in what he called ‘motivation’: what is the need, why is this important, and what problem does this solve?”

He continued, “Dr. Pourahmadi was a brilliant teacher but also the first to call out the potential applications of our field. Again, these are the foundational techniques, but how can they be used in the real world? Predicting sunspots, filling in missing values for medical research, predicting defects in aeronautics, for example. I was also his research assistant for some analysis and software that we were doing for the military, which gave me a huge leg up when it came time talk about job experience for interviews.”

Thompson said he looks for fellow NIU alumni when hiring or networking.

“Huskies look out for other Huskies,” he said. “An NIU degree puts you to the top of my pile when I’m hiring. As for networking, on LinkedIn I will look for NIU alumni working at a company that I’m interested in, and reach out to see if they can help open a door.”

Thompson said he has helped current NIU students as an active alumnus.

“I have gone back since graduating and participated in career talks, what life after college looks like, conducted mock interviews and cut a video on ethics for BELIEF Week,” he said. “At this stage, I am now in a position to ramp up these activities and give back to the school that played such a huge role in my life and success.”

Calm. Organized. Confident.

Ask any high school student in the midst of the college admissions process and it’s unlikely they will use words like these to describe their experience.

As an independent educational strategist and college admissions coach, Benjamin Caldarelli, M.A. ’04, helps his clients feel all this and more. Caldarelli, founder and chief counselor of Benjamin College Consulting, works with students during their high school years and as they face the daunting tasks associated with college applications and, more significantly, self-discovery.

Now based in New York City, Caldarelli started his practice in 2009 while he was also teaching English at Arizona State University.

“I enjoyed the classroom, but it was often individual writing conferences where I could really get to know students and inspire them to do their best work,” Caldarelli said. “Not just for a grade, but for themselves.”

While his counseling practice initially focused on coaching Phoenix area high school seniors through their numerous application essays, Caldarelli quickly realized how many students could benefit from more comprehensive college guidance and decided to take the plunge into full-time counseling. Today, he works with high schoolers throughout the country and international students from around the globe via Zoom.

“The national statistic is one school counselor for every 400 students,” Caldarelli said. “On average, they receive a total of 38 minutes to plan their future. That’s simply not enough.”

Caldarelli says that while some students come to him with clear ambitions, many have a more vague sense of their hopes and dreams. When students come to him for advanced planning much earlier in high school, Caldarelli is able to help them develop a personalized roadmap to explore their interests in greater depth. He helps break big ideas into manageable and actionable pieces, and students gain foundational knowledge and skills to take their learning well beyond the classroom. Regardless of when they start, Caldarelli helps students develop a strategic approach to the entire college preparation and admissions process.

Caldarelli considers himself akin to a modern-day Socrates.

“Through mentorship and coaching, essentially continual questioning, I can highlight the relationship between their academic achievement and the intellectual vitality colleges are looking for,” Caldarelli said. “I try to nurture their curiosity, creativity and philosophical reflection.”

After high school in Chicago’s western suburbs, Caldarelli attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science and English.

“It’s an excellent university, but given what I know today, I see how easy it was to overlook other advantageous options,” he said. “It’s part of what drives me to help students find schools that are the best academic, personal and financial fit for them. I visit an average of 20 to 30 campuses annually so I can advise students and their families based on first-hand knowledge.”

NIU, however, was well-suited for Caldarelli, where he pursued a master’s degree in literature. He arrived on campus committed to a career in education and excited to join a community that cared about books as much as he did.

“There was something very special going on inside Reavis Hall,” he said. “I was reading night and day to keep up with three graduate seminars and trying to figure out how to teach the two sections of freshman English I was assigned. Professors David Gorman and Brian May were exceptional. The books we read and our conversations 20 years ago have stayed with me. Many books from their courses with my notes scribbled in the margins sit on the shelf next to my desk today. Most of all, they challenged me to not only think deeply, but to write with clarity and arrive at insight.”

When asked what books he recommends as a “must read” for the college application process, Caldarelli says there are many but offers Who Gets In and Why, by Jeffrey Selingo, for a behind-the-scenes view into the workings of an admissions office and Man’s Search for Meaning, by Victor E. Frankl, for inspiration and understanding how the pursuit of higher education can develop from a larger purpose. Caldarelli is also authoring his own book, The Citizen Scholar, which is scheduled to come out in 2025. He says the book codifies the strategic framework he uses in his counseling practice and, in a larger sense, aims to redefine guidance counseling as the cornerstone of secondary education.

Caldarelli is quick to credit his parents with much of his success. His father, Cesare Caldarelli, ’62, M.S.Ed. ’66, is a retired educator who served as superintendent of school districts throughout the country. His mother, Myra Caldarelli, was a social worker, mediator and psychotherapist. He said his parents were instrumental in developing resilience, patience, empathy and adaptability—all critical skills equipping him to meet the needs of his students and families, not to mention run a small business.

Having his parents as exceptional role models, Caldarelli often speaks to groups of other parents who are curious about how to best help their kids succeed. He advises them to pay attention to their own character and behavior.

“Try to instill a love of learning and reading,” he said. “There is no better way to do this than for your kids to see you read for genuine pleasure and seeking ways to continue learning.”

For students who wish to pursue higher education but cannot afford coaching services like Caldarelli’s, he offers this advice:

“Make an extra effort to establish a close relationship with a school counselor or teacher,” he said. “They are extremely busy but often willing to help students who proactively seek them out. There are also many community-based organizations that do an excellent job supporting low-income students. Search for what’s available in your local area and start the admission process early. Almost everything related to the applications follows Hofstadler’s law: it takes more time than you think.”

As for the momentous college essay, Caldarelli offers an insightful take in The College Essay is Not (Only) About College. He describes writing an essay and having an essayist’s mindset as having the willingness “to visit the past and attempt to make our experiences more meaningful as the value of them does not necessarily come to us all at once.” He continues, “For students, there can be tremendous personal growth in the process of attempting to make connections between their experiences, values and goals. So much of the admissions process is out of a student’s control, but the essay can be fully theirs.”

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to support students navigating this emotionally intense and significant time in their lives,” said Caldarelli.

What continues to drive Caldarelli is a clear sense of his own North Star.

“I believe college counseling is not only about where students go, but also helping them figure out who they want to be in the world,” Caldarelli said. “I see the admissions process as a vehicle for them to develop self-awareness and learn to tell compelling stories—two character strengths that will serve students well throughout life.”

Marty Johnstone, ’09, M.B.A. ’21, is a compassionate leader in the NIU alumni community—he’s all heart and ALL Huskie.

“My friends will tell you that I breathe and bleed NIU,” Johnstone said.

The NIU community has always played a pivotal role in shaping Johnstone’s identity and contributing to his happiness, which makes serving as the president of the NIU Alumni Association Board of Directors, beginning July 1, 2024, a tremendous honor. He looks forward to further strengthening the bond between alumni and the university.

Previously serving as vice president (2023-2024), Johnstone is no stranger to the board.

“Over my 5-year tenure on the board, I was involved in various committees and have been able to work with wonderfully talented people,” Johnstone remarked. “It has been very fulfilling, and I am excited to follow some inspirational leaders who served as president. Pete Garrity, ’71, M.B.A. ’76, Joe Sener, ’93, M.S. ’10, and Rich Escalante, ’74, M.P.A. ’78, shared one very distinctive attribute: they are dedicated to NIU and Huskie alumni.”

Johnstone is also immensely dedicated. He hopes to continue moving the board forward with his high energy and creativity while empowering every board member to bring fresh ideas to grow engagement and expand involvement opportunities. He explains how alumni can play an important role at their alma mater.

“While a student at NIU, I was fortunate enough to work with extremely talented professors, staff and peers,” Johnstone said. “I grew intellectually and strengthened my emotional intelligence. NIU helped shape my way of thinking and provided many great experiences to apply that thinking before entering the ‘real world.’ While my experience was amazing, I know that the future of NIU needs continued growth to build on our historic foundation. A large part of the university’s growth depends on the strength and dedication of NIU’s alumni network to get involved and give back.”

Johnstone is also the Huskie Marching Band Alumni Council’s immediate past president (2017-2024) and an active member. He was motivated to join the council after pivotal experiences as a Huskie Marching Band student. One of these was seeing students forced to drop out due to financial reasons.

“Many of my fellow Huskie Marching Band members had to drop out because of the time commitment,” Johnstone said. “They had to work instead so they could pay for school. I thought it was unfair that because of their financial situation, dedicated and passionate people were forced to choose to either work or be a part of the group.”

Johnstone joined the Huskie Marching Band Alumni Council and its fundraising efforts to help students in financial need. His interest in service and community involvement, however, evolved earlier in Johnstone’s youth. His dad was a firefighter and served on the commissions for the department. Johnstone recalls laying in bed, unable to fall asleep until he heard his father come home from meetings, not because he missed his dad, but because he had the innate curiosity and interest in hearing his father debrief with his mom about everything that happened at the meeting. He says the itch to get involved in something bigger than himself and to give back to his community built over the years, and NIU alumni engagement opportunities offered that.

Described by his peers as someone who is willing to volunteer for anything, Johnstone highlights why he eagerly raises his hand to help.

“If I can assist in any way by moving something forward or talking to someone, I am there for it. It might seem small at the time, but I believe those small things start to build up and one person can have a great impact in the end.”

Growing up in Summit, Illinois, Johnstone came from a long family line of firefighters who were very active in their community, sitting on various village boards and committees. He remembers passing out voter materials at only ten years old and, until about 12 years old, he dreamed of also becoming a firefighter.

“One day, while hanging out in my grandfather’s basement, which was also home to a construction company he ran with my uncle, I watched in awe as a computer was being set up and configured by an IT guy my grandfather hired,” shared Johnstone. “I was mesmerized by the installing of Windows 3.1 from a command line prompt and was instantly hooked. I wanted to watch, learn, and understand everything I could about computers and technology.”

Johnstone redefined his dream and his family was very supportive. He came to NIU for the Operations Management & Information Systems (OM&IS) program and he was the first one from his immediate family to graduate from college.

Today, as a product manager for RF Code, which focuses on active RFID (radio frequency identification) for customers who own or operate data centers, Johnstone assists the RF Code sales team throughout the sales process for the company’s top customers. After many years, what still excites Johnstone about IT is solving customers’ needs.

“I talk to CIOs and executives and translate information between the customer and engineering working to find a solution to fulfill their needs,” he said. “It helps that I love to talk, too. My grandmother passed along to me her gift to gab!”

Before moving into product management in 2022, Johnstone was a sales engineer with the company. He was also the IT Asset Management Team lead and a Data Center Engineering Team project manager for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, where he first started as an intern while a student at NIU. Johnstone has been asked to speak at multiple industry conferences on IT asset management and the RFID space.

When he’s not at work, Johnstone prioritizes family, friends and his girlfriend, Amy Warner. He spends time exercising to maintain his physical and mental health, working on home construction projects, and cleaning his car, admitting a slight obsession. Johnstone completed three marathons before hanging up his shoes in 2015 after running the New York City Marathon.

Drawing from his perseverance and diligence used during marathon training, Johnstone completed the Executive M.B.A. program at NIU in 2021. He also credits the program’s schedule and his family’s support for this achievement.

Johnstone is grateful for his family and the many people who helped to guide and support him, but his late grandfather, Robert Jarosik, was unequivocally the most influential person in his life.

“I could go on for hours about him, but he always pushed me to be the best I could be,” said Johnstone. “He often would ask about my challenges and successes with life and work and provide inspirational guidance. He was genuinely interested in my answers and very encouraging. He would say, ‘Don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Be humble. Don’t push something off tomorrow when you can do it today.’ Everyone knew him. His license plate said ‘Summit,’ reflecting his passion and respect for his community; many people thought he was the mayor!”

Having learned so much from his grandfather, Johnstone recognizes the significance and power of connecting generations. He describes NIU as “a place for past, current, and future generations to grow beyond anything one could think. NIU is a place to discover who you are and your greater purpose in the world.”

“It truly is a great time to be a Huskie,” said Johnstone. “The bond between the university, NIU Foundation, NIU Alumni Association, and DeKalb community has never been stronger with everyone making large efforts to build for the future of NIU. NIU is very lucky to have such an intelligent and passionate leader in Dr. Lisa Freeman. Under her leadership, the vibe around campus has never been more electric. There is so much happening behind the scenes and without fanfare to guarantee a promising future.”

Johnstone’s life and leadership have been enriched by the people he surrounds himself with and he often, indisputably, chooses Huskies.

“I think the Alumni Association board for fiscal year 2025 consists of diverse and talented individuals,” Johnstone said. “We have also added seven new board members who are very excited to get to work. This combination is encouraging, and I expect our board to work very hard.”

Click here to learn more about volunteer opportunities at NIU, or contact us at volunteer@niu.edu or 815-753-2586.

William Stein, ’95, M.S. ’98, Nokia’s principal logistics manager for Hardware Service Delivery Americas, works to live—not the other way around.

Stein has a professional career that spans almost 30 years since earning his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from NIU, but as a lifelong learner, he continues to seek new experiences. His most recent began on July 1 as one of the newest NIU Alumni Association board members.

“My association with NIU does not start and end in lockstep with my time enrolled as a student,” said Stein. “I am a reflection of all my experiences and time on this planet, and I am proud to represent NIU in the world.”

Stein and his wife, Beth, are passionate about travel. Beth is closing in on her 100-country mark, while William hopes to reach his 60th country before the end of the year. He says he runs into Huskies near and far. Stein has met NIU alumni on cruise ships when traveling internationally, discovered some of his local acquaintances are also Huskies, and connected with Phoenix-area alumni as an engaged NIU Alumni Association Arizona alumni representative for the past seven years.

“I am proud to be an active alumnus,” Stein said. “In addition to being involved regionally in Arizona, I have also been involved with the College of Engineering and Technology as a volunteer critiquing senior design projects. It’s important to me that I am an asset to the institution that helped define the person I am today.”

Growing up in Rockford, Illinois, the youngest of three boys and the son of an engineer, Stein was introduced to computers and technology early in life.

“I remember using computers starting in grade school,” said Stein. “Soon afterward, we had our own computer in the house, which was somewhat rare in the early 1980s. Although I didn’t end up pursuing computer science, having extensive experience with computers and technology helped form my analytical and pragmatic approach to life and business.”

Stein attended NIU to experience going away to college while remaining close to family and friends.

“NIU is a big enough campus without being unnecessarily overwhelming, especially to first-generation college students,” he remarked.

While at NIU, Stein worked for the former Academic Computing Services Department, supporting computer labs across campus. He developed innovative methods for securing computers from unauthorized modification or software installation. Despite only having a part-time student employment role, Stein says he felt valued and respected as part of the department.

Stein went on to earn a master’s degree in industrial management from NIU, where he was also a graduate assistant. He continued his admiration for teaching as an adjunct instructor at Kishwaukee College and on several Maricopa County Community College campuses for almost 25 years. He received the “Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award” for the 2022-2023 academic year at the Maricopa County Community College’s Rio Salado campus, where he has served as the engineering adjunct lead faculty member since 2022.

“I am delighted to have participated in the NASA Space Grant and the Arizona-specific ASCEND! program while teaching,” said Stein. “I had the opportunity to support STEM students in Arizona and even participate on a flight team at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, working hands-on with students to assemble research hardware to be launched by sounding rocket to outer space.”

Stein is honored to have been selected as an NIU Alumni Association Board Member and is excited to give back to NIU. He believes his professional experience engaging teams of colleagues across the globe and at all levels of Nokia makes him well-suited for the board.

“I am very approachable,” Stein said. “Talk to me any time if you want to discuss NIU, running, travel or cats. We can also chat about food, wine or whiskey. I am a credentialed chef and have taken sommelier classes with the hope of being fully certified one day.”

Click here to learn more about volunteer opportunities at NIU, or contact us at volunteer@niu.edu or 815-753-2586.

John Groh works to make his hometown of Rockford, Illinois, a thriving city to visit, live, and work in. Simply put, Groh grows Rockford.

As president and CEO of the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (RACVB), also known as “GoRockford,” Groh is in the non-profit business of destination management and marketing. While GoRockford’s primary goal is to attract visitors and business partners to the area, Groh explains how his work extends far beyond tourism.

“My friend, colleague and mentor, Maura Gast, executive director of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau in Texas, said, ‘Build a place where people want to visit, and you’ll build a place where people want to live. Build a place where people want to live, and you’ll build a place where people want to work. Build a place where people want to work, and you’ll build a place where business has to be,’” Groh shared. “This is central to what we do. You can see how a thriving community ties back to attracting people to visit first.”

Groh says a Convention and Visitors Bureau, or CVB, operates much like any other business.

“In destination marketing, we try to position our communities with strategic marketing to improve the brand perception of our community and its many offerings so that people move through the sales funnel—from awareness to consideration to purchase—and then hopefully repeat the purchase,” said Groh. “Our sales team is continuously building a funnel of partners to bring conferences, events and new attractions to the area, and our marketing team performs the social, digital, paid advertising, and public and community relations functions for each new opportunity brought in.”

Groh’s team collaborates with private and public sector partners as they evaluate or are in the process of bringing a business or experience to the area. For example, when Embassy Suites was looking at a location in Rockford, Groh said his team shared market data, visitor perception scores and information about past investments to help convince the parent company, Hilton, that they would not only do well in downtown Rockford, but the hotel would also be positive for the Rockford community.

“Tourism is economic and community development,” said Groh. “Many of our local venues rely heavily on tourism. Some have 50-60% of their customers coming from outside of the community. Without tourism, visitor experiences that our residents also use would collapse. That’s why we say tourism makes it all possible.”

Businesses and residents anticipate and rely on experiences like Stroll on State, an annual Rockford festival held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

“We have approximately 80,000 people downtown in one day,” said Groh. “But it’s not just about people having fun. Experiences like Stroll on State are about bringing residents and visitors downtown to see Rockford in a new and vibrant way. It supports our retailers and restaurateurs. They tell us it’s like their 13th month of the year because some make more sales in one day than in other months.”

To help attract talent to relocate to the area, the RACVB designed the “Made for Rockford” program. Supported by large employers like UW Health, OSF Healthcare and Woodward, an aerospace company, the purpose is to “open the conversation about livability, affordability, and quality of life in the Rockford area,” said Groh. While the campaign is not tourism-oriented, Groh and his staff utilize their successful marketing and consumer-facing messaging expertise to meet the employment needs of the area’s largest employers. In fact, the Wall Street Journal recently named Rockford as one of the top real estate markets in the country.

Only leaving Rockford to attend Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota, for a bachelor’s degree in political science, Groh’s career began—and stayed—in Rockford. He started at the RACVB in 1999 as its communications manager and held a variety of roles before serving as executive vice president. After moving to the Rockford Chamber of Commerce from 2007 to 2009 to serve as its executive vice president, Groh returned to the RACVB in 2009 to serve as president and CEO, where he has been since.

In 2008, while at the Rockford Chamber of Commerce, Groh began looking for M.P.A. and M.B.A. programs from Madison to Chicago.

“I thought I was too busy in my 20s, so I didn’t finish my master’s,” he said. “Later, I began to regret that decision and still had the internal drive. As a non-profit executive, my daily work involved leading an organization, people, legal, and human resources, all those things that were business related, so I decided to pursue an M.B.A. I chose NIU because I needed something focused and time-bound, and the Executive M.B.A. program was structured with a start and end date.”

Groh appreciated the community that was his cohort of 40 people, all in their late 20s to early 40s. He was the only person from Rockford and liked to share Rockford with his fellow classmates. His message, “Rockford is a lot different than you know,” was straightforward and genuine. He admitted his hometown had been through its rough times but encouraged them to visit to see the turnaround for themselves.

Later this year, GoRockford will unveil its master plan: a 10-year vision for its destination development. Groh said the community can expect to see “a continued commitment to celebrating, amplifying, and leveraging the Rock, Kishwaukee, Sugar and Pecatonica rivers” that flow through Rockford and its surrounding communities. There will also be a focus on the downtown areas of Rockford, Cherry Valley, Durand, Rockton and Pecatonica, outdoor recreation amenities and mountain biking trails.

“The Rockford area is the perfect mix of urban, suburban, and rural with more than 20,000 plus acres of parks, forest preserves and riverbanks,” said Groh. “We have this great city life that meets amazing outdoor experiences only 10 to 15 minutes away. We will lean into those areas to amplify and grow their visitation over the next 10 years. I want to see residents and visitors create life-long memories by experiencing all the Rockford area has to offer.”

As GoRockford continues to cultivate opportunities to help grow Rockford, Groh expects to see more residents and visitors sprouting up to create life-long memories.

Anabela Arrieta was inspired by her uncle to pursue a career in medicine, a pursuit made less financially stressful thanks to the generosity of donors.

Among the scholarships Arrieta has received is the David and Karen Nargis Student Scholarship in Biology, a scholarship focused on junior and senior level biology majors who have transferred from a community college. Arrieta attended Waubonsee Community College before entering NIU. She plans to graduate in 2025.

“As a first-generation college student, these scholarships are confirmation that my hard work is rewarded and noticed,” she said. “I am motivated by these scholarships to keep working hard in my studies and pursuing my goal of becoming a doctor.”

Arrieta, who was born and raised in Quito, Ecuador, ultimately wants to be a healthcare provider who advocates for patients who struggle to receive crucial care, and travel to developing nations to provide care there.

“I want to become a doctor to create an impact, to not only educate communities about the importance of healthcare but advocate for those who are denied medical care because of their status and income,” she said. “Not only would I be speaking out for my future patients but also for myself, as I have personally been refused medical care due to my status.”

Arrieta is inspired by her family members who have attended college but were unable to complete their education. She cites her uncle as an example of a family member who worked hard but was unable to attain his dream of being a doctor.

Arrieta was raised by her mother and grandparents in Quito, and during the first 10 years of her life, also lived with her uncles.

Her uncle Alvaro, the youngest son in the family, signed up for classes at Universidad Central del Ecuador and was the only sibling to go to school because of the financial hardships of the family. Her grandparents took out a large loan to cover his college costs, because her uncle had a high admission score for the university’s medical program.

However, despite her uncle’s hard work, he failed one class during his fourth semester in school.

“Sadly, this situation was not only a setback for him but also it destroyed every single opportunity for him to become a doctor,” she said. “From my former self point of view, I was surprised and angry at the radical decision of my grandparents; however, now that I am a college student, I understand that people with financial hardships cannot afford to fail a class.”

Arrieta remembers the heartbreak in her uncle’s voice as he told her grandmother that he failed the class and had to drop out.

“I remember the day he got his class report like it was yesterday. My grandmother and I were playing with a doctor play set while waiting for him to come home,” she said. “When he got home, he sighed and said, ‘Mom, I failed you.’ That simple sentence crushed my heart. I remember he went to the garden and started to cry while looking at his white coat; he knew it was over. I was angry at every single family member because I used to sit with him while he studied from his big book of anatomy. I used to sneak into his room to steal his big and heavy anatomy book since I loved observing the pictures of the structure of the human body. I was his biggest supporter, and I still believe he kept that anatomy book on his shelf for me.”

Arrieta said she wants to dedicate her degree to her uncle when she one day becomes a doctor.

“When the time of choosing a career was coming, my family was surprised to know I was going to study to be a doctor,” she said. “The only person that was not surprised was my uncle, he looked at me with a subtle sparkle in his eyes, he was proud. I will one day dedicate my degree to my uncle since he has been my inspiration for choosing to pursue a vocation as difficult as medicine. I will accomplish our dream.”